Cable

• US 8,155,491 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LAPP Engineering & Co.
• Original Assignee: LAPP Engineering & Co.
• Inventors: Lapp, Siegbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Tina
• Application Number:
  US12/587,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20100172618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 385/101
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/32 with arrangements for indicating defects, e.g. breaks or leaks
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/368 being a sleeve, ferrule, tag, clip, label or short length strip

Abstract

In order to improve a cable, comprising an inner cable body, in which at least one conductor strand of an optical and/or electrical conductor runs in the longitudinal direction of the cable, a cable sheath, enclosing the inner cable body and lying between an outer surface of the cable and the inner cable body, and at least one information carrier unit, disposed within the outer surface of the cable, in such a way that statements can be made about the cable, it is proposed that the at least one information carrier unit can be read by electromagnetic field coupling, that the at least one information carrier unit picks up at least one measured value of a sensor associated with it and that the measured value can be read out by a read device.

Claims

1. Cable, comprising:

an inner cable body, in which at least one conductor strand of an optical and/or electrical conductor runs in a longitudinal direction of the cable,

a cable sheath, enclosing the inner cable body and lying between an outer surface of the cable and the inner cable body,

a sensor located within the outer surface of the cable for sensing at least one state variable of the cable, and

at least one information carrier unit disposed within the outer surface of the cable, the at least one information carrier unit being adapted to be read by electromagnetic field coupling, the at least one information carrier unit picking up at least one measured value of the at least one state variable sensed by the sensor,

wherein the measured value can be read out from the information carrier by a read device.

2. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the at least one state variable comprises at least one of radiation, temperature, tension, pressure and moisture.

3. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a sensor which reacts irreversibly to the state variable to be sensed.

4. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a sensor which reacts reversibly to the state variable to be sensed.

5. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the at least one information carrier unit is adapted to be activated and picks up the at least one measured value in an activated state.

6. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the at least one information carrier unit stores the at least one measured value in a memory.

7. Cable according to claim 6, wherein the at least one information carrier unit only stores the at least one measured value in the memory if the at least one measured value exceeds a threshold.

8. Cable according to claim 6, wherein the at least one information carrier unit only stores the at least one measured value in the memory if the at least one measured value lies outside a statistically determined measured value distribution.

9. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the at least one state variable comprises state variables of the inner cable body.

10. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the at least one state variable comprises state variables of the cable sheath.

11. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the at least one state variable comprises state variables between the inner cable body and the cable sheath.

12. Cable according to claim 1, wherein a multiplicity of information carrier units is provided in the cable and each of the information carrier units can be individually addressed by an access code.

13. Cable according to claim 1, wherein:

a carrier strand is associated with the inner cable body, the carrier strand running over a length of the inner cable body,

the at least one information carrier unit is disposed on the carrier strand, and

the carrier strand is covered over by the cable sheath.

14. Cable according to claim 13, wherein the carrier strand runs parallel to a longitudinal direction of the inner cable body.

15. Cable according to claim 13, wherein the carrier strand is formed as a filler tape.

16. Cable according to claim 13, wherein the carrier strand wraps around the at least one conductor strand of the inner cable body.

17. Cable according to claim 13, wherein the carrier strand lies directly on the inner cable body.

18. Cable according to claim 13, wherein the carrier strand is at least part of a separating layer between the inner cable body and the cable sheath.

19. Cable according to claim 13, wherein the at least one information carrier unit is disposed on a side of the carrier strand that is facing the inner cable body or on a side of the carrier strand that is facing away from the inner cable body.

20. Cable according to claim 13, wherein the sensor is disposed on the carrier strand.